My non-guard dogs - or Black Tuesday.

[GASKETBOY]

Last night upon entering my house I was greeted, as usual, by the two familiar faces of my Sheepdog and my girlfriend's Chow. The smaller of the two weighs in at about 60lbs. Deep tone to their barks, growls for strangers - you know the routine.

Also greeting me was a sight none of us should ever have to encounter - the sight of my house turned inside out and upside down. For a minute I thought I was back on the left coast after a 6.5 shaker. I wish I was so lucky.

Sometime during the day, some unwelcome guests had broken in and completly ransacked the entitre house. It was almost surreal in that, although every nook and cranny had been distrubed and opened; cabinets emptied, closets emptied, garbage dumped on the floor - everything major appeared to be there. The TV-stereo-VCR-DVD player, camera, etc.

As I gained my wits somewhat I ventired into the garage - Phew, still there. A quick call to my girlfriend to clue her in and inquire about here jewelry. She mentioned her "hiding" place. I checked, it was empty. Mother fu$#@r.

The only thing these lowlifes were after was her jewelry. Gone is her engagement ring and assorted pendants and bracelets. Nothing else in the house appears to have been taken.

It took the police over 4 hours to show up - no big deal. Don't ever expect to see the jewelry ever again. One cannot begin to express the anger you feel over an experience like this.

Oh, the dogs. I found my jar of mayo in the sink with a knife in it and the container of dog cookies on the counter nearly empty. My guess is that these SOB's fed the two of them mayo coated cookies while they shopped.

If only the dogs could tell their side of the story. I'm extremely lucky that these bastards did not harm my "girl". I will have a talk with her tonight and clue her in on her role a a guard dog. As for the Chow - I think he is terminally hopeless.

Now the fun part, doing battle with my insurance company. I so am not looking forward to this.

Be careful out there folks. Not sure how to avoid these things. Seems as though if these folks want what you have they will find a way to get it.

I have my theory as to the generic "who" did this as my girlfriend's mom had the same experience a few months back. She was greeted with the same sight and all they were after was her jewelry as well.

The experienc sucks beyond comprehension not for the loss of property but for the loss of security and the feeling that we have been 'violated'. Humans and dogs are safe - I'm ok with that.

Now, its time to heal and try to replace her collection.

Jeff

[Turk]

I am VERY sorry to hear about it. I can attempt to understand how violated you must feel.
Having had a similar experience, I can only tell you I THINK I feel your pain. It is still indescribable.

TURK

[Maricopa]

Sorry to hear it. I had the same experience some years back. (also in Phx)
We lost very little (except peace of mind) and fortunately they didn't ransack the place.
The thieves left fingerprints all over the broken window and inside the wall around it, the officer diligently took prints, they identified a suspect and..........the charges were later dropped for an unspecified reason.
The detective assigned to my case wouldn't tell me why, or even give me that bastards name. (I suspected a co-worker)

Sure taught him a lesson-NOT!

Mike

[mikiec]

Jeff,

That sucks.............

Been there done that. When I see you I'll tell you about my revenge on the perps...

Mike

[flipper35]

Glad y'all are OK. When the office manager here was growing up they went through several Dobermans. The thieves would poison the dogs first. I can't imagine the emotions going through something like this.

[GASKETBOY]

Brent,

I am glad they played nice with the dogs as well. They can keep the jewelry - just gives her an opportunity to shop for replacements.

Mike,

I am going to drive up to the station on Saturday. You can fill me in then. My brother is getting married at 3:00 so I am a no show at the BBQ. The drive up will be a nice way to clear my head.

Turk,

I am certain the feelings are universal. As they say, time heals.


Others,

Its a good time to review your homeowners policies and make sure you are covered for all of those simple things you take for granted.


Jeff

[Jason Lee Nye]

"Now the fun part, doing battle with my insurance company. I so am not looking forward to this."


1. First thing is make a list of everything that is missing.

2. Next find all receipts or proof of purchase or manuals(empty boxes will provide as evidence as well)

3. Start looking up what their value is but remember on certian items there is wear and tear and some property does go down in value. Also if you have old video that might have it on film will also help, such as t.v.s ect.

There are several types of homeowner's polices plus the extra endorsements. If you try to read it now it will be pretty confusing. If the adjuster denies something or gives a lower value than you thought, ask him or her why and what portion of the policy that they are relying on.

**keep in mind, one of the biggest frauds going on is soft fraud, add a little here and a little there, no harm, no foul right? Adjusters have to approach each claim with that possibility to protect other insureds and the company. The adjuster doesn't know you from Adam so if you do the above and be patient with the adjuster and realize that they have to justify everything they pay by proof.

I highly recomend that each of you here take a video camera and go through your house each year and video everything from the jewelry box to the garage and tools and have a friend or relative store the tape for you. If your house burns to the ground a melted tape will do no good so that is why you send to a friend or relative. It has been recorded and cannot be disputed, it makes the adjuster's job a hell of a lot easier and the process is less painful for both sides.

If you have any questions, I would be happy to help.

We got broken into and my father described it as feeling like he was raped. I am sorry to hear about this and on the plus side no one was hurt including the dogs and your Cobra is still safe. The rest can be replaced.

p.s. which company is it?

[Back in Black]

It's a specific training technique which results in them not trusting anyone but their owner to feed them. it's part of making them into suspicious watchdogs as well. Try to feed them or toss meat at them, and they will get very angry with you. My home has never been broken into, although one night in Sacramento, CA., as my buddy Boris Von Blitzkreiger (Rottweiler) and I were snoozing, me on the couch, him on the floor under me, trying to guard the front door as the house cooled off, a punk tried the screen door. He figured the yuppies in there would not notice the missing stereo/TV etc. until 8 AM ...At the sound of my magnum cocking, (I awoke from a nice sleep with it in my hand, cocked, pointed at his belly 15 feet away) he stopped dead, his hand on the screen door handle.. then Boris woke up, roared and slammed into the screen door, denting it. I threw open the door and sent him out like a locked on missle after the creep... The punk got away... he must have melted his tennis shoes and left a brown streak down his pants and the sidewalk...
Just having a dog is not having a guard dog. Most dogs are socialized and are simply bred and raised to be pets. They bark but cannot protect, and are simply alarm dogs to wake you if you are home and someone is breaking in. Some will sleep right thru that too, and maybe even hold the flashlight for Mr Burgler
On the other hand, most people are not responsible enough to have/deal with the liability of a guard dog.

[Jason Lee Nye]

"On the other hand, most people are not responsible enough to have/deal with the liability of a guard dog."


And that is where I come in after one of our insured's dogs kills a kid selling cookies door to door. You can't half a$$ own a guard dog if not handled right very bad things can happen to the wrong people.

Nothing like seeing an autopsy of a 9 year old kid with half of his throat hanging out.

[Maricopa]

You guys make good points on owning trained dogs. I have kids and would never own a dog trained to protect, that's for junkyards, and K-9s. The kind of 'up keep' on a dog like that that is high, and the risk of it injuring someone is too great.
If you want an 'alert' dog it needs to be trained too, but IMO a domestic animal should never be taught to chase or bite.
I looked into all this after our break-in but ruled it out since we were going to have kidlets.

Mike

[mrpink]

Jeff, I feel for you. Also been there done that. When it happened to me, the insurance adjuster said the guns and jewelry did not go down in value. Probably some junkie. How do some people have the balls to do that ****? O.J. get your knife!!
Jim

[Jason Lee Nye]

Originally posted by Maricopa


...
I looked into all this after our break-in but ruled it out since we were going to have kidlets.

Mike

Good call, I have had a number of dog bite claims where one day, spark WENT BAD. Mostly highly trained Rotts and Pittbulls but I did have a Pug go bad and screw up a child's face for life.

A dog is still a dog and no matter how well trained they are. It is an animal not a human and we never know when they are having a bad day or are tweaked the wrong way. Kids are at the same eye level as dogs and that is the problem.

Does one really need an attack dog? My dog is simply there to bark to give me warning to get my gun. He growls at everybody and that is the way I like it. When we have guests he is introduced to them by me and then seperated. No need to teach him to be warm and fuzzy. We don't have kids so that is not a problem. He does everything short of attack and if someone moves close he SLOWLY backs up. Of course I accept the risk if he bites a guest. That is part of the risk of owning a dog.

[Jason Lee Nye]

Jeff,


E-mail me or PM if you have any questions. If it has to do with the policy I will need a copy of it and if I don't have the answer I will find out for you from a friend in our property department.

[427sharpe]

2 words; BULL MASTIFF. I was given one by a friend years ago when the 'cute puppy' grew into one big F'in dog! I have had Bogart ever since, and he is fantastic. He plays with kids (which are all over my neighborhood) and is never foul tempered or too rough. He's smart enough to know that a 5 year old is to be treated differently than a 15 year old, and he is VERY protective of his turf!He foiled one burgler when I was away, and held the guy at bay for five hours until my wife got home. It was actually funny as hell, after the initial shock wore off. The creep broke into the house and Bogart tackled him in the kitchen nook at the back of the house, bit him a few times, then just sat down and stared at the fool, who was too scared to do anything! He was actually relieved when my better half got home so that the cops could get him away from the dog! Now my daughter (4) plays with him, sleeps on him and loves him. He watches over her, and is gentle as can be. If my daughter or wife is outside, Bogart will just watch everything, if someone comes up he just plants himself between the stranger and the family and watches.....very intimidating to have a 135 lb hunk of muscle just staring at you intently!

[Back in Black]

Were specifically bred to be personal guards of nobles, barons, lords, and businessmen, cattle/sheep guards, and WAR dogs. Yes, war dogs, to be sent at the enemy in battle, just as armies clashed. Does this mean they are too dangerous to own? NO, if the owner accepts this, has procured a dog from a good line, (temperament) and has the right living situation. However, we as owners must be ultra careful to keep them from a situation where they can hurt an innocent (For the record I believe any "responsible" person tresspassing or commiting a crime such as burglary has lost their right to any consideration.. this was old time English and American jurisprudence, lost to current day life in the land of political correctness)

On the other hand, dogs such as Rottweilers or Mastiffs or German Shepards, etc.., if socialized when pups and trained to discriminate between bad and good guys, can be wonderful family friends and will save lives, provide wonderful deterrent to criminal activity, (I could tell many stories about my dogs quieting a bad situation by their mere entrance, they have done so on many occasions) But if the owner thinks they can just "buy a puppy and forget it" they are being very foolish.. it takes a great deal of personal time, training, and my opinion is that only lovers of the breed that care about it's future should own such a dog. My Rottweilers are from world-class champion lines, and my male is related to the 1999 Westminster best of breed winner. I happen to love the breed but believe there are too many in the wrong hands. Especially in America where we seem ignorant to the imperative nature of genetics and breeding.

One more thing: The most common biter is the COCKER SPANIEL. Small dogs bite too, but seldom cause truly serious injury. Any dog can bite, the most common biters are NOT the big dogs, and so let's simply all be responsible with our furry friends, just as we should be with our highly-powered street machines.
The statement that "such dogs are for junk yards and K9" is utterly ignorant and unacceptable to me as a free man. I believe in accountability AND freedom.

[Doug I]

Hope you get the mess sorted out ok. Never have been in your situation and, touch wood, we won't. 2 alarm dogs and a coded house alarm system.

here's an article about our breed of alarm dog. http://www.donabney.com/lady.shtml